THE PRO INTERVIEW
Specialist photographer David Lund works with the world’s biggest brands and agencies. He shares his techniques and kit ahead of his new masterclasses, why Canon lenses do it better and why there’s no rest for the liquid…
AROUND 15 years ago, David Lund transitioned from graphic designer and art director to commercial photographer, using his extensive knowledge of creating concepts and advertising campaigns to work with brands at the highest level. Based in the UK but working internationally, David Lund Photography now offers stills and film work to clients like Baileys, Neptune Energy and Rolls-Royce.
David crafts every element of a commercial shoot from the first pitch to the final delivery and will accept nothing short of excellence – with a level of experimentation and attention to detail that can take weeks or even months to realise. Starting with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, he now uses a vast range of camera gear to offer his clients a complete service, whether that’s flying a drone, jumping in a helicopter or even using a robotic arm to control his camera.
We reveal why resilience and passion are a key part of his core ethos and, of course, why Canon lenses are still the best quality optics in the business…
Hi David, can you tell us what have been working on recently?
Certain types of projects are just so exciting and rewarding, and I’ve had two in recent years. One was for the world’s most expensive diamond earrings, Miroir de l’Amour by Parisian jewellery house Boehmer et Bassenge (which sold for around £15m). For that shoot, we filmed a model with a silk sheet over her in super slow motion at 2500fps, and a timelapse of a flower opening up. I did all the post-production from start to finish, which is quite rare for a photographer.
The other shoot was Fuller’s London Pride ale campaign, where we used a series of Canon lenses. The end results went out all over London, so I’d be walking around the underground stations outside and see these enormous digital billboards of my work displayed with the image at 30ft tall.
Does it still excite you to see your work displayed?
I always believe in being transparent, and it’s not always a glamorous job. Honestly, I think some people think I have a helipad! Most of the time I’m behind my Mac, working exceedingly long hours. I once worked 56 hours stra
